Education

Research Interests

Atomic and Surface Physics

Interactions of ions / atoms with surfaces

Theoretical and numerical methods in atomic and surface physics

When atoms are close to metal surfaces, electrons can be transferred between the atom and the solid. This charge transfer is involved in many processes like: chemisorption, desorption, fragmentation of adsorbates, chemical reactions, quenching of metastable states. The most efficient type of transfer is the resonant load transfer (RCT).

RCT is sensitive not only to the geometry of collision, but to the metal band structure as well. Band gaps, for instance, will be prohibited in the metal, thus dramatically influencing various experimental results.

When surface adsorbates are present, RCT becomes a complex three-body problem. Adsorbates may induce: (1) non-local effects (macroscopic variation of the surface workfunction); (2) local effects due to the strong local perturbation of the space surrounding them.

The role played by surface states and image states in the electron dynamics at surfaces is essential. Adsorbates couple the surface states to the bulk states. Scattering by adsorbates may be used to laterally confine surface state electrons.

Ion/surface scattering can be considered as a special regime of channeling. Scattering in one of the possible regimes depends on the crystal and its orientation relative to the incident beam.